Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

“The tax will be low… I can arrange someone to discuss it further with you.” Shane replied.

“Good…” Mara replied with a chuckle.

Shane watched as she handed out the last biscuit from her sample tray to a grinning, lopsided-eyed pug with bone armor stitched into its hide.

The undead-repellent formula must’ve been effective. Shane already caught a scent that was similar to Zombie Repellent Spray.

Mara then dusted off her hands while her tail was flicking lazily.

“So,” Mara began, looking up at Shane, “you really want my shop in your shelter? Ahem… Can I also put my other shops there?”

Shane nodded. “It depends. We can arrange an area for you at first. The rent will be low… Then, we can consider how many Shops you can have. Anyway, I think the Eclipse Domain… I mean, one of my shelters could use a bit of your pet food shop. There’s a real market for that now.”

Mara raised a brow. “But I’m not joining your Clan, yeah?”

“No need to,” Shane reassured her, fishing out a silvery Merchant Token embossed with the Eclipse Revenant’s insignia.

It was the two eclipsing moons surrounded by vines… “This grants you access to sell within any of my controlled territories. You’ll get a permanent spot in the Eclipse Domain’s trading quarter. I’ll even help with setting up your stall.”

Mara looked at the token as if it might burst into flames, then took it with a slow, measured nod. “…Alright. But only if I get to name my stall the same thing.”

“Mara’s Treats…” Shane muttered with a grin. “That sounds good.”

The two shook hands, a brief, warm moment between two Survivors…

After that, Shane waved goodbye and picked up a bundle of biscuits, bone marrow chews, and other feed from Mara’s last inventory tray.

Later on, he planned to send someone to assist her with the establishment of another shop in his shelter.

As Shane prepared to return to the Portal Hall to start with his Blood Alchemy, something odd caught his eye.

It was a modest wooden stall… No flashy signs, no glowing items, no flashy Survivors hawking wares with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Instead, a single man sat behind the booth, arms crossed over a worn ledger.

He was like a laborer, but he had his hair slicked back and face tanned by fieldwork… There was only a wooden board nailed into the front of the stall, scribbled in bold black ink:

“Workforce for Hire – Great Mercenary Clan”

Shane stepped closer, eyeing the lone figure.

“You sell… mercenaries?” Shane asked with a chuckle.

The man looked up, gave a friendly shrug. “Sort of. We don’t take on the high-end stuff—no Zombie Lord subjugations, no Zombie King raids—but we’re flexible.”

He gestured behind him at a roll of parchment pinned to the board. Names, brief bios, and a rating system ran down the page.

“We’re fifty-five strong. About Level 35 to 45. We’ve formed our own group: the Great Mercenary Clan, ranked 68 on the Clan Leaderboard.”

Ranked 68 may seem too far from the Top Ranks, but it was actually quite decent considering the fact that there were only 55 Survivors within the clan.

“Not bad,” Shane murmured, surprised with their choice of work… “You operate like freelancers?”

“Exactly,” the man replied. “Our motto: ‘If you got work, we got hands.’ We’re a utility Clan. We’ve done scavenging missions, camp construction, basic zombie lair clearing, even road building.”

“You can make roads?” Shane repeated.

“Hahaha… That’s right… It was only three kilometers, but we’ve done it in a few days.” The man proudly replied.

If it were back in their previous world, it would certainly be impossible to do it in just five days or so, especially without any large equipment. However, with their Inventory and strengths after reaching level 30, working had been a lot easier for them.

Of course, their protection must also be guaranteed by the employer if they have to work like that.

Seeing that Shane looked interesting, the man flipped his ledger open and pointed at a few past contracts.

“Two weeks ago, ten of our members were hired by the Frostborn Clan. They were tasked with rounding up wild horses from the Graymane Plains. Turns out, the bastards were mutated and could easily destroy normal fences. Still got ’em, though.”

“Impressive,” Shane said.

“Another job was excavation,” the man continued. “We dug a thirty-meter-deep well for a fledgling shelter. Took us a few hours with eight people working. But we hit an underground spring. Paid well too…”

Shane’s gaze sharpened slightly. This group might not have flashy powers, but what they offered was something rarer—reliability and numbers. In the ever-growing chaos of the world, sometimes, what a Clan needed wasn’t just elite power—it was logistics.

The man leaned in slightly.

“Look, we’re not trying to be heroes. We’re workers. We can fight, we can build, we can scout, and we keep our contracts clean. No backstabbing, no weird allegiance shifts… Just contractual works…”

“I like that,” Shane said genuinely. “I’m Shane. Eclipse Revenant’s Leader.”

The man blinked, then gave a sharp whistle. “Hah. Thought you looked familiar. I’ve seen you in the Waiting Zone! I’m a big fan. Name’s Reed, by the way. I handle our bookings.”

“Reed,” Shane said. “You might be hearing from me soon. My shelters’ been expanding lately, and with my core members handling high-tier threats… I think you guys might be perfect for the support operations.”

“Ohh… Perfect. There were about 25 people available right now… Just send me a message or if you want, you can use this…” Reed grinned, handing him a parchment slip with a communication effect.

“It’s one of our members’ Talent. Just write your request on the slip and he will be notified.”

“Ohhh… That’s an interesting Talent… But isn’t this your Talent?” Shane replied.

Reed froze for a moment as the specific talents of the members were supposed to be secrets…

“I guessed correctly, huh.” Shane said as he chuckled at Reed’s reaction.

It was only at this time that Reed realized that Shane was just bluffing. He couldn’t help but sigh at this…

“Anyway… As long as you’ve made your request, we’ll move swiftly… Just give us at least 12 hours of preparation if paid upfront. You won’t be disappointed.”